Although many various fishing lures are available, fishermen still lose many lures because of snagging on rocks, bottom vegetation or other subsurface obstacles. In most cases, this is because an exposed hook catches on these obstacles. There is, then, a need for a snagless lure.
Our invention fills this need by providing a lure that may be of various shapes but that completely conceals a hook which may have multiple points and is so designed that the hook partially ejects (usually to more than three-fourths its length) when dual levers are both depressed. Depressing one lever will not allow the hook to eject and the lever will reset when the obstacle causing depression is cleared. When a fish strikes, the dual levers are so positioned that both are depressed and the hook is rapidly partially ejected to catch the fish. In one embodiment, bait may be used on the hook and fingers on each lever then enclose the hook with the bait attached. This embodiment works in the same manner as described but has an advantage, in that, very small fish would not be able to pull off the bait. In this manner the lure also tends to selectively catch larger fish of the variety that are attracted more to bait.
Briefly, the working mechanism of one embodiment of the lure may be described as follows:
Dual levers inside the lure are pivotally positioned with the head end of the levers having projections that will hold a piston pushed between the levers, but will release the piston when both levers are simultaneously depressed at any spot on the levers external to the lure.
The hollow or open piston has a depression or multiple depression that engage the catches on the levers on the head end of the piston: the back part of the piston has a removable pin. The eye of the hook slides over this pin along with a rubber band. The lure and piston are so sized that when the rubber band is stretched from the piston pin to a pin in the back of the lure that the piston engages the dual lever catches and the hook barbed end is concealed in slots in the lure. When a fish strikes to depress both levers simultaneously the piston disengages from the levers and is propelled backward against the stop pin; thus partially ejecting the hook. It is desirable that the hook be ejected for a major part of its length to clear the end of the lure body. In a second embodiment, a single hook with small bait is normally used and the dual levers have cup-like fingers to enclose the hook and bait when the lure is "cocked" by depressing the piston to engage the dual lever arms.
In a third embodiment of the invention, the mechanism differs but the appearance and action are the same. In this case, a semi-flexible "U" shaped piston has a raised portion on the forward end that engages the piston guide wall when the mechanism is set or "cocked" by pushing the hook attached to the "U" shaped piston to position the piston at the forward end and stretch the spring or rubber band that attaches between the end of the lure and the piston. The dual levers are then pivoted at the very forward end and projections on the levers depress the ends of the semi-rigid "U" shaped piston when the levers are depressed; this releases the piston, which then is projected backward by the rubber band or spring.
A device where both levers must be depressed simultaneously and wherein when only one lever is depressed the lever resets itself is unique. A further unique feature in one embodiment is a finger type bait enclosure that opens to eject the baited hook when a fish strikes.
The lure must be properly balanced with proper interrelationship of weight and point of attachment to the fishing line to give a normal swimming motion to the lure as it is pulled through the water. Various shapes, sizes, and colors may be used with the mechanism as described protecting the hook until a fish strikes and then rapidly partially ejecting the hook to catch the fish.